A Prank Too Far
by pirate88
Summary: Jim has always been the office prank king. But when a new prank triggers a disagreement, the office will be divided and a battle of epic proportions will surely follow. COMPLETE!
1. Bandit for Breakfast

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Thank you.**

Jim walked into the office just like any other day. Dwight was over at his desk just as he always was. Ugh. Jim always hoped that maybe he would be sick…or hit by a bus. Too bad for Jim that, although Dwight was not the brightest bulb, he was incredibly persistent.

"Morning, Jim." she said from behind the tall reception desk. Ah, Pam. Jim looked forward to seeing her every day. Having her around helped to take some of the edge off for him. He smiled at her as he approached the desk. That desk was so tall it reminded him of a fort.

"Morning, Pam." he replied as cheerily as he could. He wasn't very good at acting cheery in the morning when he was so tired; at least not as good as Pam was. She probably should be since it was her job to put on a happy face or a voice, as the case may be. Jim noticed that she had that little "something's funny" smirk she occasionally wore. For the life of him, he couldn't figure out why.

"Just thought you'd like to know that the 'Keyboard Bandit' scored again this morning." she said, maintaining the grin. Oh, that was right! Last night after Dwight had gone home, Jim had taped Dwight's keyboard to the ceiling. Not Jim's record breaking prank, by any means, but sometimes he like the subtle one's the best. Jim beamed as he remembered.

"Pam, I would like you to recreate for me if you can the exact expression that was on my dear colleague's face when he saw the Bandit's work." Jim said, quietly. Pam hunkered down behind her desk so that Dwight could not see her. She did her best impression of Dwight and Jim was actually very impressed. He could completely picture Dwight making that exact same face. He couldn't help but laugh. As quickly as she had gone into Dwight mode she switched back to Pam and sat back up.

"How was that?" she asked, with a smile.

"Pam, the perfection of that was mind boggling and I thank you." Jim said as he headed to his desk. He plopped down in the swivel chair as he had done so many times before. He started his day the way he'd been starting many of them lately. He spun around to see how many times he could get around without feet. Eight. A new record. This was going to be a good day. As he flipped on his computer and began to type, a large ruler snapped down right between his hands. His hands flew into the air out of sheer surprise. He glanced up. Of course.

"Whatcha been up to, Jim?" Dwight asked as if he knew something Jim didn't. Jim knew it was only about a fifty-fifty chance that Dwight actually knew so he did what he always did. Deny, deny, deny.

"Well usually I work over at my desk here when people aren't pulling a schoolmarm ruler snap on me." he said trying to act natural. He flicked the ruler off the keyboard and tried to begin typing. Dwight poked the ruler into Jim's chest. Jim rolled his eyes and looked at Dwight.

"I know it was you." Dwight said, trying to sound menacing. Jim came back in a flash.

"Dwight, it is not my fault if you always misplace your keyboard. Why don't you just leave it on your desk where it belongs!" Jim replied. As he spoke he became louder and louder. He was also trying to sound more and more angry. Dwight was very receptive just as Jim had planned.

"Well that's where I usually…" he replied quietly but was cut off.

"You know what, Dwight" Jim continued to rant. He stood up for maximum effect. "I really resent you always blaming me for every little problem that you have! 'Oh, I can't find my keyboard. Must be Jim. Oh, I miss my chair when I sit down. Must be Jim. Oh, my desk just collapsed. Must be Jim!' Dwight, I am just sick and tired of your 'it's never my fault' attitude and I just don't know why I am always a target. Excuse me…" Jim left the room. He had gotten so into this that he had actually mustered up some tears. Dwight stared at him, open mouthed. Pam did her best to keep from cracking a smile. She stood up from her desk and followed Jim into the hall, giving Dwight a fake dirty look on the way out. The second she saw Jim, he took a bow.

"And _that_ would _have_ to get me on a soap opera." he said with a smirk. Pam laughed.

"I'd watch it." she replied through a giggle. "So will it be McDonald's breakfast or Bob Evan's?"

"Definitely McDonald's." he said as if it were obvious. They snuck out into Jim's car and took off. Jim was right…this already had been a good day.

**Everything's going according to schedule in the office, but will Jim's prankster ways catch up with him? Will Dwight finally exact revenge? What of the other office workers? Stay tuned to find out! **


	2. Notes, Plans, and Pranks

They returned to the office after a nice breakfast. They were both still laughing over the fact that Jim had accidentally put French dressing on his hash brown instead of ketchup.

"All I'm saying is that they look very similar." Jim protested. Pam could barely compose herself enough to speak. She did her best.

"But didn't the fact that one dispenser said 'Ketchup' and the other one said 'French Dressing' tip you off?" she chuckled. They paused outside the door.

"Allright," Jim said. "Get your game-face on." Pam exhaled deeply.

"Okay." she replied, as she attempted to "shake" out the laughs. They both put on very somber faces and walked slowly into the office. Jim pretended to wipe away a tear. Pam walked him right over to his desk, snapping a few angry looks at Dwight on the way. Perfect. Dwight was watching every move. As Jim sat down, Pam leaned down and placed a hand on top of his.

"Everything is going to be fine." she said, quietly, but just loud enough for Dwight to hear.

"Thanks you **so **much, Pam." he replied, placing his other hand on top of hers.

"No problem, you just be strong." she said. She turned to go back to her desk, but not before firing one last prison face at Dwight. He shifted in his seat almost as if the stare had physically hurt him. Without a word, Jim began to do his work.

Angela watched all this transpire in disgust. She could tell that this had all been an act, but as close as she and Dwight were, she couldn't tell him. She liked to have that leverage. If she ever needed a secret weapon against Jim, she had one more to add to the collection. She was sure to write it down so she wouldn't forget. It wouldn't do her much good right now anyway. Michael was the only one she would really tell about these discrepancies and he was on vacation at ClubMed for a month. She stuffed the note away in a drawer with the others until she could use it to her advantage.

Meredith watched Angela and felt like going over and popping her one. Angela thought she was the office nanny whenever Michael wasn't around. She knew exactly was Angela was writing down on her little notepad. Jim and Pam were both good kids and she didn't want to see them get in trouble. She walked over to where Oscar, Kevin, and Ryan were all talking.

"Hey, Guys." She started.

"Hey Meredith." Ryan replied on behalf of the group.

"Hey since Michael isn't here how would you guys like to have a little fun?" she said, in a low tone. The men all shot nervous glances at each other. There was an uncomfortable silence as they all pondered what "a little fun" meant in Meredith's book.

"Well, Meredith as appealing as that sounds we…uh, well…we…" Oscar tried to respond. Meredith quickly realized what they were all thinking about.

"NO! No, no, no, no, no." she started, accidentally getting too loud. "No, what I mean is, do you guys want to go on a little… 'secret mission' for me?"

"I like to pretend I'm James Bond." Kevin replied, seeming to have no concept of volume. There was another pause.

"Well…that's good." Meredith responded as politely as she could. "I need you boys to wait until Angela is away from her desk and get into that drawer and grab whatever little notes she has in there."

"Why would we want to do that?" Ryan asked.

"Because Big Brother over there has been keeping tabs on everyone since Michael has been away and we need to put an end to it." she said, with surprising seriousness and conviction. The boys once again exchanged glances, this time eagerness was on all of their faces. They hadn't done anything productive since Michael went on vacation. This may not be that productive either, but it might at least feel that way.

"We'll do it." Oscar said.

"Cool." Meredith replied. She returned to her desk. As she returned to her desk she realized that while Angela was away from her desk, Dwight may still be able to see activity from where he sat. She walked over to Creed and Phyllis.

"Hey, Meredith." Phyllis said, cheerfully.

"Hi Phyllis, Creed." She replied. "Hey, listen. This is going to sound strange, but next time Angela gets up from her desk, I need you two to start arguing about martial arts…loudly."

"That doesn't sound strange at all." Creed said, calmly.

"Perfect." Meredith said as she walked away. She knew they were reliable simply for the fact that they were both bored out of their skulls. They would be waiting intently, all day for Angela to get out of her seat. Meredith sat back down at her desk knowing that she had helped everyone in the office just then. Plus, the whole arrangement took all of about twenty minutes to set up. Time well spent.

About two hours later, Angela finally got up to use the restroom. Her officemates would swear that she had an iron bladder. Right on cue, Phyllis and Creed started arguing about roundhouses and black belts. Naturally, Dwight had to step in and let them know exactly how things were. While he was setting the two straight, Oscar and Kevin raided Angela's drawer. Ryan came swooping down the aisle on a swivel chair and made the "pick-up" the second Oscar and Kevin were done. He then proceded to the Men's room where the hundreds of little notes arrived at their final destination. Flush. Meredith watched the perfection and couldn't help but smile. She gave a quick nod to everyone involved. She knew that among others, she had helped Jim and Pam so that no one would ever know of their past few pranks. She had saved them both…at least, this time.

As Jim sat and worked, hundreds of great ideas flooded through his head. He liked to make sure that each prank he played on Dwight flowed smoothly from one to the other. A grand-daddy of all pranks would definitely be a slight breech of etiquette, but what the hell. He was in the mood and he had a couple winners bouncing around in the ol' noggin. He shot an e-mail over to Pam at the desk. He took a long stretch and got Pam's attention. He extended three fingers making an "E" then and "M". Pam knew that this meant e-mail. She had thought of the hand sign. She was pretty proud of that.

"Pam, the prank of the decade just slapped me in the face. Tell me what you think…" as Pam read on, Jim watched her face. It grew more and more excited and impressed with each passing second. When she was finished, she looked up at Jim.

"_Really?" _she mouthed, to him.

"_Oh yeah." _He mouthed back, with a nod. They could both hardly wait for the next day.

**What new trick has Jim got up his sleeve? What awaits Dwight around the bend? Will Angela discover the missing notes? Find out next time in "A Prank Too Far."**


	3. Operation: Pizza Time

They all strolled into work the next morning ready for this day to be just like the hundreds of others. That is, except for Pam and Jim. They were ready for the best day of their lives or at least in a while. They tried to look like nothing was amiss. They both took their respective places at their desks. At quarter after nine they both walked out into the hall and started to set up the prank to end all pranks. They returned at ten to ten and it was almost time to set "Operation: Pizza Time" in motion. Operation: Pizza Time was really a culmination of several of Jim's best ideas as well as a few of Pam's. It was ten o'clock now and it was lights camera action time. That morning Dwight walked into the office to find that his swivel chair had been replaced with a fold up lawn chair. He tried to ignore it to give the vandals no satisfaction. As he sat down the plastic weave snapped and he fell right through. Jim was quick to help him up at least to take blame away from himself. Anyway this small joke was just to keep Dwight distracted and him mind occupied. At ten, Jim walked into the bathroom and was sure to take his cell with him. He called Dwight's, work phone.

"Dwight Schrute here." He answered. Jim distorted his voice as much as he could.

"How's that chair treating you, scum bag?" Jim said.

"Who is this?" Dwight asked trying to be intimidating.

"It is of no consequence. I was just wondering…have you checked Michael's office recently?" Jim asked, in a suggestive tone.

"No. Why?" Dwight asked with concern.

"Something's missing. You have sixty seconds to find out what it is or you'll never see it again." Jim threatened.

"If you touched Michael's office I'll…" Dwight began.

"Fifty seconds now, Dwight. Tick-tock. Forty-eight, forty-seven…" Jim continued to count down. Dwight sprang up from his desk and bolted towards Michael's office. He ran up to the window so quickly that he bashed his head on the glass. He peered in the window and searched Michael's Desk. Oh no. Michael's expando-ball was missing. Dwight bolted back to his phone. Pam watched all this with glee. If only Jim didn't have to hide in the bathroom. Dwight got back to his phone just in time to hear the perpetrator say five, four, three…

"The expando-ball!" He screamed into the phone. Pam had to lean down behind the reception desk to keep Dwight from seeing her crack up. Jim almost laughed, too as he could hear Dwight even from the inside of the bathroom. To everyone else Dwight yelling "the expando-ball" was just a random occurance, but then when wasn't Dwight random. They all went back to their work.

"Very good, Dwight. For a minute there I didn't think you were going to make it." Jim gloated on the other end of the line.

"What do you want, fiend?" Dwight hissed.

"Tell you what. My offer was going to be the ball for hundreds of dollars, but you know what, Dwight…I like you." Jim said. "So I want you to go to Pizza Hut and get me twenty large x-cheese and pep pizzas. I want you to drive to the west border of Scranton. When you arrive you will see the ball sitting under the big oak. Place the pizzas on the ground and disrobe. That way I will know you have no weapons."

"Why do I have to…" Dwight began.

"HEY! I give the orders here, buddy, and if you care about Michael at all you will shut up and listen!" Jim threatened. "Now once you are disrobed and have the ball in hand I want you to jump into the river. From there, my associate will pick up the pizzas and take them away. DO NOT get out of the river before my associate leaves. DO NOT tell anyone about this. DO NOT go back to work until tomorrow! Is that clear?"

"Yes." Dwight said, defeated.

"Good. Better get moving." Jim finished as he hung up the phone. Dwight made a mad dash for the coat rack. He tried to grab his jacket only to find that someone had glued it to the rack. No time. He put the coat on, rack and all and ran out the door, spilling others' coats along the way. Jim busted out of the bathroom and ran over to the window. Pam was already there. Seconds later the saw Dwight sprint out into the parking lot, coat rack still attached. He ran around the parking lot looking for his car he couldn't find it. Jim was friend with a guy at the towing company and had them move it down the street still in eyeshot of the window, of course. When Dwight finally found his car he opened the door only to be met with the overwhelming smell of about thirty pine air fresheners. The best part was that he kept going! Before long he was out of sight. Jim turned to Pam. She looked back.

"Let's go." They both said in unison. They knew Dwight would take longer to get to the border since he was getting the pizzas so they had time to hide the car. They could see him arrive as they watched from on top of the hill. They both nearly peed themselves to see that the coat rack was still attached to his jacket. They both got a kick out of picturing him walking into Pizza Hut with that on him. He walked over to the tree with his hands raised into the air. He slowly put the pizzas on the ground and stripped to the tighties. It made sense to Jim that Dwight was a whities man. Dwight quickly grabbed the ball and ran to the river. He jumped in and now it was time for the most delicate part of the plan.

"You ready?" Jim asked Pam.

"Oh yeah." She replied as she put the head on her costume. Dwight looked all around as he waited in the water. Just then a giant beaver came galloping down the big hill.

"Beaver." he said under his breath. "What does this mean?"

The beaver swooped in and gathered up the pizzas and no sooner than he had appeared he was gone back up the hill. Jim and Pam made a mad dash for the car pizzas in hand. They revved her up and squealed away back towards the office. Dwight walked up the river back with as much dignity as he could gather and collected his clothes (and the coat rack).

"Damn you, Beaver!" he said to himself.

Pam and Jim arrived back at the office and treated all their officemates to a nice treat. They laughed as they regaled the prank to their closest friends. They tried to make sure that Angela was out of earshot, but as usual she seemed to be everywhere. There was a rumor that before Angela came to Dunder-Mifflen she had trained with ninja's. It was either ninja's or the CIA. No one was really sure anymore. Either way they were all starting to believe it. Any time the name Dwight was uttered she was just appear breathing down her officemates' necks. Naturally, by the end of the day she had pretty much put together the puzzle and she had enough dirt on Jim and Pam to get them both in a lot of hot water. She scribbled furiously on her notepad and went to add it to the dirt drawer, but as she opened it, she found it empty. Someone had destroyed her days of work. Who? Who had committed this crime? She glanced around. Everything seemed normal. But wait. Meredith. She seemed unusually cheery. She seemed to have a cloud of cockiness about her. She was really the only one that Angela suspected. It had to be her. She had to pay.

Meredith returned to her desk to find one of the little notes sitting right on her keyboard.

"You don't know who you're dealing with." it read. Meredith looked up and over where her glance was met with Angela staring daggers at her. She began to type furiously and then suddenly stopped. Angela opened her new e-mail.

"Neither do you." it read. She glanced back up at Meredith. Meredith winked. To call the next few hours between them an uncomfortable silence would definitely be an understatement.

**Uh-Oh. Looks like there's some trouble brewing in the office. What will become of the disagreement between Angela and Meredith? Will Dwight remain clueless as to who his "Deep throat" and "The Beaver" are? Will Jim and Pam be able to keep straight faces tomorrow? Keep watching for new installments of "A Prank Too Far." **


	4. Challenged

Jim had a good feeling in his whole body for the rest of that day and even into the next morning. Few pranks he had pulled in the past had measured up to this. Not to mention, he had let Pam in on it. He was happy that he got to share that with her. He loved to have her with him in his jokes because he could tell how much she loved to get office work off her mind, at least sometimes. Just thinking about the whole thing made Jim smile. He was pretty sure Pam felt the same way. The door swung open and there he was. Facing Dwight the day after a prank was like round two at least for Jim. If Pam ever needed to laugh she could just duck. Jim had no cover. He had to keep a straight face all day long. Even when he remembered Dwight making that last dash to the river in his ball-huggers. This was never easy for Jim. He had to occasionally get up and go "talk" to Pam. All he ever really did in these trips was get to the desk, laugh, go back. Jim was already struggling. Dwight walked over to his desk trying to act like nothing happened, but Jim could see he was hiding something. Now what could that be?

"What happened to you yesterday, Dwight?" Jim asked.

"I had to run home to watch Battlestar Galactica. There was a marathon on yesterday and I forgot." Dwight fired off.

"I see." Jim said.

"What's that smell?" Dwight asked. Oh no!

"I don't smell anything." Jim lied.

"No. It kind of smells like…pepperoni." Dwight guessed. "Pepperoni **Pizza**"

"I think that's a new cleaner their using." Jim tried, but he could see the recognition in Dwight's eyes as he slowly put the pieces together. After a moment of thought, Dwight's head turned vindictively towards Jim. Jim had never gotten a look like that from Dwight.

"You!" Dwight hissed.

"Me what, Dwight?" Jim asked, rather unconvincingly at this point.

"You were the one on the phone, the one at the river." Dwight accused. Jim knew that he was busted. Now he simply tried to smooth it over.

"Now, Dwight. Just listen for a second…" Jim started.

"You son of a bitch!" he said standing up quickly. Jim stood up, too. Dwight began to advance on Jim and Jim began to back away. The fire in Dwight's eyes frightened Jim. He had seen him mad before, but absolutely never like this. The two moved slowly towards the reception desk.

"Dwight, hold on. Let's not do anything we are gonna regret later alright." Jim said, almost pleading now. Pam noticed this and stood up.

"Dwight, what's going on?" she asked, hoping she wasn't right.

"He knows, Pam." Jim said, quietly over his shoulder. By now the whole office had their eyed on the three of them. Dwight continued to advance until Jim's back hit the desk.

"I should kick your ass." Dwight concluded. "You made me strip, I permanently smell like a Christmas tree, you dared to besmirch the good name of our friend the beaver…"

"No Dwight." Pam cut in. "That was me." Jim shot a quick smile at Pam.

"I should kill you both right here." Dwight said. The officemates looked shocked. Dwight had made the comment that he could kill a man, but he never said it as a threat.

"Maybe you should, but you won't because I'm your friend and Pam's your friend. So I am just gonna go back to my seat now and…" Jim started towards his desk but was stopped by Dwight's hand as he just put two fingers in the air. The fingers shot up so quickly that both Jim and Pam jumped a little.

"Not this time, Jim." Dwight said. "This time you're going to pay."

"That's right." Angela cut in as she stood next to Dwight.

"Neither of you are going to touch them." Meredith piped up as she stood next to Pam and Jim. Angela and Dwight just stood there threatened.

"I think they might deserve to get a slap on the wrist…maybe." Toby piped up as he joined Angela and Dwight. Kevin started to walk towards Jim, Pam, and Meredith.

"Kevin, I'll buy you a Twinkie." Angela said, very matter-of-factly. Some other's went to get up, but Angela shot them a look that froze them all. The two lines just stood there for what seemed like hours. In reality, of course, it was only a few moments.

"I think there is only one way to settle this." Angela started. Jim and Pam glanced at each other praying that they were not right.

"Two day paintball." Angela said. Her words fell like a bomb as Jim, Pam, and Meredith looked at the line across from them now _as _a paintball team. They were good. Jim could tell. Jim had played a few times; He knew Pam had gone once with her brother as an extra and had fun, but was afraid to go again; and Meredith, he had no clue about. Two-day paintball was also a scary preposition. It was basically like camping only they were going to be hunted the whole time.

"Well?" Angela asked. Jim was thinking about this when Meredith did something rather rash.

"You got it!" she said. Jim and Pam's heads snapped over to her.

"Perfect. We win, you never play another prank in this office again." Angela replied.

"What if we win?" Jim asked. Angela gave a sarcastic chuckle before answering.

"If you win, well...if you win you get to keep playing your sick jokes." she answered.

"So if we win things stay just the way they are?" Pam questioned.

"And," Angela continued, "We won't tell Michael about this little incident."

Jim and Pam shot nervous looks at each other.

"Accepted." Jim said, extending Dwight a hand. The larger group walked away. Jim turned to Meredith as did Pam.

"What were you thinking?" he asked.

"Meet me in the hall right before lunch. I have something to show you two." She replied, calmly. Jim and Pam both felt sick. There was no way they could measure up to the Death Squad over there. Right before lunch they did meet Meredith in the hall, hoping that she would reach into her pocket and pull out a miracle.

"What did you want, Meredith?" Pam asked.

"Follow me." she said, quietly. They followed her to her car. Pam and Jim were a little freaked out. As they drove along they realized that they had no idea where they were going. About half way through the ride Pam piped up.

"Meredith, you really don't need to help us." she said. "Jim and I are already in this way over our heads. I don't want to drag you down with us."

"If my plan works," Meredith replied. "No one will go down at all."

The rest of the ride was pretty quiet. They finally pulled up to a small house at the end of a cul-de-sac. Meredith led Jim and Pam into her home. They followed her to her walk-in closet where she shut the door behind them. The closet was large but they were all still cramped enough to be uncomfortable. They all just stood there in silence for a few moments.

"Meredith," Jim started. "Do I need to ask?"

"You're probably wondering why we are all in my closet." She inferred.

"Bingo." Jim replied.

"Jim, Pam. What I am about to show you, I have never shown another soul. Not even my own children. You see you two, I have quite a passion on my hands, and isn't it just our luck that my passion applies here." she said. Jim and Pam were both confused. Meredith smiled as she drew back one rack of clothes revealing an enormous arsenal of everything they could ever need related to paintball. Jim and Pam's jaws both dropped. Finally Pam spoke.

"Meredith…how?" she tried.

"My dad owned a paintball field when I was little. Guess I just sort of pick it up." she said.

"Did you ever!" Jim said as he and Pam simultaneously threw their arms around Meredith. "Now all we need is practice."

They got to work right after five o'clock that day. Who knew? With all of Meredith's gear (which was top secret now), some practice, and a little luck they might just stand a chance and live to prank another day.

**So it is officially on! Will the Prankers be able to hold their own? Or will they be overtaken by the other bigger, more powerful team and wave bye-bye to their pranking days forever? Be sure to keep checking for further installments of "A Prank Too Far."**


	5. Beginning

**A Note to my Readers: Thank you all so much for keeping up with this story. I very glad that you are all reading it. I'd love to hear from a coupe more of you in reviews. As for "Insert Witty Name Here", thanks a lot for your review. All IWNH wrote was "can't wait to read more" and it made my day. So just a little comment from some of you guys would be nice. Also, I am really just making this up as I go along so if any of you have any ideas you'd like to see end up in the story, I'd love to hear from you. Again, thank you all for reading this story and I wish you all continued enjoyment from it.**

Pam and Jim were both getting better as the first day of the challenge was drawing near. Before they knew it, it was the day before and none of them could believe how fast it seemed to go. That day as Jim was practicing on the range that Meredith had set up in her backyard. Pam walked over to him and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" she asked.

"Sure." he replied. They walked over beside the range where Meredith couldn't hear them.

"Jim, I'm afraid we can't win this one." she confessed. "I think we should've just let Angela go to Michael. At least then we would still be able to prank people. Now we might lose to Dwight and Angela **and **never get to prank again."

"You can't think that way, Pam. Listen, we are getting better…no, I'd say we are getting good…real good, and if good and evil mean anything in this world then we got em' on the ropes. They represent all that is corrupt, and bad, and evil in the office…well not Kevin so much. He's just an idiot." he said. Pam laughed. "Besides do you really want to say that _Dwight and Angela_ scared you into just giving up?" Pam's face was suddenly full of conviction.

"You're right, Jim. And when we beat those…stiffs, all our pranks will be that much more sweet because we won the right to do them fair and square." she said as she walked back onto the range. Just before she got around the corner she turned back to Jim.

"Hey, Jim?" she said.

"Yeah?" he answered.

"Thanks. You always know just what to say." she said.

"That's why I'm in sales." he said, with a grin. Pam laughed as she walked around the corner. Deep down inside, Jim knew that Pam was probably right. The four on the other team seemed like the kind that would really know what they were doing on a paintball field. He shouldn't have accepted the challenge from Angela. He would blame himself forever if they lost. He had just felt such a desire to beat Dwight that he didn't care what happened to him. But at that moment he had forgotten that Pam was involved, too. And now Meredith. He just remembered how happy Pam was when they had burned Dwight. Now she might never really get to experience that again…and it was all his fault. If they lost, he would never forgive himself. He went back onto the range and tried to pretend that everything was normal. Hours later, around midnight, Meredith came out and tapped Jim on the shoulder.

"You shouldn't shoot in the dark, Jim. It'll throw you off." she said.

"I gotta practice, Meredith." he replied, as politely as he could.

"And I gotta shut off the lights, Jim. My kids can't sleep." she said.

"I'm sorry, Meredith, I didn't mean to stay so late it's just that I feel kinda bad…" he started.

"About Pam?" Meredith guessed, although Jim could tell that it was more than just a guess.

"Yeah. How did you…" Jim started.

"Oh, come on, Jim. I've been around the loop more than once. I can see the way you look at her…and the way she looks back." Jim's glanced snapped over to Meredith. "Yeah, I can tell that you two just seem to click. That's a rare thing to find, Jim. Don't ever let it get away. You want a beer?" she asked as she took a swig of hers. That was the first time that he noticed that she had beers with her.

"Sure." He replied. He opened it up and took the first swig.

"So…spill, kid. You think that if we lose tomorrow, it will be all your fault that Pam won't get to prank anymore, right?" Meredith inferred.

"Yeah, and it will be. I shouldn't have even brought her with me on the prank at all." he said.

"Oh please, Jim. You remember what a charge that gave her. Damn it, even _I _could tell. She was practically glowing that whole day. I think that if she had the choice she would do what she did again in a heartbeat." Meredith said.

"You think so?" Jim asked.

"If for no other reason, then to spend time with you." Meredith replied. "Listen, Jim. You can't think that she will stop liking you if we lose some paintball game. Prankster or not she will always be your friend if not more." Jim only laughed the relationship Meredith was implying. Meredith grinned.

"Oh, you don't think so?" she said through a chuckle. The laughing faded. "We'll just wait and see on that one, eh? At the very least, I think that you are one of the best friends she has and that will live on no matter if the Pranks are there or not."

Jim thought about this. She was right. Pam was one of his best friends, too, and if he were in her position, he wouldn't abandon the friendship over something so small. He took the last gulp of his beer.

"Thanks a lot, Meredith. I'll get outta here now." he said.

"See you tomorrow, Jim." she replied.

"See you then, Meredith." he said, as he walked around the house to his car. Meredith shut off the lights went inside to go to bed. Miles away, Pam was turning over again. She couldn't sleep at all. She was thinking about Jim. How much it would crush him if he couldn't prank anymore. What would he do with himself? She knew that she would play her best, just for him. A few more miles away and a few minutes later, Jim was just crawling into bed even though he knew that he wouldn't sleep very well that night.

The next day Jim awoke with a start at the fact that his alarm went off seemingly only minutes after he had fallen asleep. For a few moments he tried to figure out whether or not all of this had been a dream. It's possible. Thing like these happen. No such luck this time. He noticed the paintball gun leaning in the corner. He dragged himself out of bed and got dressed. He arrived at the fields at around eight o'clock that Saturday morning. Pam and Meredith were already there. They had a tendency to be early for everything. Both of them were all decked out in their blue t-shirts and gloves. Jim couldn't figure out why they needed to wear gloves to play paintball, but Meredith said that it was absolutely necessary. Jim thought it was just to look cool. Possibly also to look like they knew what the hell they were doing. The whole other team was there, too. Dwight was stretching over by the trees as Angela lined up her scope. Jim couldn't help but laugh at the fact that Angela owned a scope. He'd have to talk to Pam about this later. At eight-thirty, the owner of the field came out by the two teams.

"Come on over here." he called to both teams. They did as they were told. Pam shot an excited look at Jim. Jim did his best to imitate this, but his face looked more like he was about to throw up, which is also how he felt.

"Welcome to your two-day paintball game." the owner said. As he said this Jim remembered what Meredith had said the previous night. He thought about the fact that this was indeed a game. That was all and while the consequences seemed dire at the time, they would be forgotten within weeks, maybe even days. He remembered what she had said about Pam. He knew now that she would like him no matter what. All he could do in put up a good fight and hope for the best.

"I will take you all to different spots on the course and your first job will be to find each other. Mind you, if you encounter your specific enemy, nothing is stopping them from taking a few shots at you so be careful. Once you find each other your only other job is to keep from getting painted into oblivion. Tomorrow afternoon, y'all come back here and whoever has the most paint on em' loses. Any questions?" he asked. Both teams shook their heads. "All right, let's have a good unclean match!" They all walked over to the jeeps. Jim opened the door to one of them.

"Shotgun!" Dwight yelled, as he dove into the jeep before Jim and his friends. They all just rolled their eyes and walked back to the other jeep. They were each dropped off at different spots around the course and told to wait until they heard the announcement. Pam was the first to be dropped, then Meredith. Finally Jim was let out and as he was walking away from the jeep…

"Hey, kid." The driver called.

"Yeah?" he replied.

"I got money on you and your little girlfriend. Give em' hell." he said. Jim decided to argue the "girlfriend" remark. He kind of liked the way that sounded anyway.

"Will do." He called as the jeep drove away. Jim had only waited about five minutes when he heard it. A loud intercom seemed to sweep the entire field.

"Paintballers. Find your partners. Put a new coat on your enemy. Ready…set…GO!" it finished. Jim bolted into the woods in search of his teammates. He could only hope that he found one of them before the Office Nazis found him.

**So the battle is underway. Who will be victorious? Will Jim find his teammates quickly or get splattered along his way? Will the "Office Nazis" smother any future hope of the "Pranksters?" Find out next time in "A Prank Too Far."**


	6. Face to Face

Jim sprinted thought the woods for as long as he could. About fifty yards. It had been a long time since his college intramural sport days. He stopped and put his hands on his knees and tried to catch his breath. All of a sudden he heard the pop, pop, pop of a paintball gun. One of the pellets flew so close that he heard the thing whiz by his ear. He instantly dropped to the ground. His eyes darted left and right in search of his attacker. He noticed a flash of red as an opposing player sprinted from behind one tree to behind another. Another wave of pellets. This time one hit him in the arm. He had forgotten how much that hurt. He scrambled to a nearby tree trying to put something…anything between him and the shooter. He took off his helmet for a moment and poked it around the side of the tree. Another ten pellets came mostly pelting the tree. Jim pulled the helmet back in close to him. He looked at it. There was one splatter right on the thing's forehead. Whoever had him pinned down was one hell of a good shot. He decided his only hope was to make a break for it. He stood up behind the tree, getting ready to make his move. 1-2-3 he counted in his head. Now! He bolted out from behind the tree firing off a few shots in the general direction of his attacker. He hoped this would distract them long enough for him to get away. Jim ran up a hill and back down the other side. He realized that it was a lot easier to run when he was being shot at. He realized that he was running right into a small riverbed. As he got to the bottom of the hill he whirled around and pointed his gun back up the hill ready for whatever had been chasing him. Nothing. He walked backwards afraid to turn his back to the hill. He continued to scan the hill. Still nothing. Just then Jim bumped into something. A tree? No. Too small. It was a person. He spun around and pointed his gun at whoever this was. Whoever it was pointed at him, too. They noticed at the same time that the other was also wearing blue. Jim looked at the eyes underneath the goggles. Pam. He threw his arms around her. She did the same.

"You scared the hell outta me." Jim said, heart still pounding.

"Nice to see you, too." Pam said, as their embrace continued. They broke apart. Jim noticed that Pam had a line of spatters across her chest.

"You're hit." Jim pointed out. "You have any idea who it was?"

"No. I was just looking for you and all of a sudden, my whole chest stung. I barely even heard it coming." she said. "It seems like they're everywhere."

"Why didn't you try to find Meredith first. She might have been able to stop that from happening." Jim asked.

"I guess, I just feel…I don't know. I guess I just feel safer with you." Pam admitted. Jim smiled at her. POP, POP, POP! The shots came from both sides of the two. There was nowhere to hide. All they could do was run down the small riverbed. They ran and ran for what seemed like forever. In reality, of course, it was not as long as it seemed. The sides of the river bed had grown too steep to climb and then a horrible sight met Pam and Jim's eyes. A giant rock formation blocked their path. There was nowhere else to run. As they turned around their gaze was met with Angela's cold gaze and Dwight's cocky one. They all just stood there for a moment before Angela spoke.

"I'll bet there are some things you two wish you could say right now." Angela asked in a low tone.

"Yes." Pam replied, seeming very sure of herself. She stepped slightly forward and cleared her throat. Angela raised an eyebrow. Pam then proceeded to recite the "How much wood could a woodchuck chuck?" tongue twister. When she was finished she just smiled. "I really wish I could say that." Pam finished with a smirk. POP! Angela fired one right into Pam's stomach. Pam staggered backwards clutching the tender spot and groaning. Jim put his arm around her and tried to look at the welt that was surely there. Pam only tried to push him away, insisting that she was fine even though Jim knew full well that she wasn't.

"Looks like you two have a very limited prank expectancy." Dwight said, thinking that what he had just said was about the coolest thing anyone could have said in his position. Angela looked at him out of the corner of her eyes, before rolling them. Jim had to fight back a laugh. Pam did, too although no one could tell. Just then Kevin and Toby slid down the sides of the riverbed and joined Angela and Dwight. Suddenly the situation seemed a lot less funny.

"Lose the guns." Angela said, rather calmly as she and the other three Office Nazis raised their guns at the two. Jim and Pam did as they were told.

"You're pranking days are over." Angela said. Hope was fleeting for Jim and Pam. "Ready!" Angela called. The four all made sure their guns were loaded. Jim looked over at Pam. She looked back. He smiled at her as if to say that everything would be fine. As he did this, any fear that Pam had melted away. She smiled back at him. "AIM!" Angela shouted. Jim and Pam didn't really even hear her. Jim took Pam's hand as they prepared to take what was about to come.

"FIRE!" came a voice. To Jim and Pam's surprise, the word did not come out of Angela's mouth. It came from above them...on top of the rock formation. Meredith. She began to shoot at the O.N.'s like Roid Rage Rambo. Every pellet his it's mark and the O.N.'s were instantly covered in blue paint. The O.N.'s began to run away and Meredith continued to pelt them as they ran. When they were finally out of range, Meredith leapt from the rock formation on the steep walls of the riverbed and slid right down to Jim and Pam. They both stood there in awe. Meredith looked at them with a strange kind of told-ya-so smirk on her face. Jim could not figure out why until he realized that he was still holding on to Pam's hand. Pam had forgotten, too. They instantly sprang apart and began to try to recover.

"Meredith, that was the coolest thing I have ere seen in all my days." Jim said with a large grin.

"That has to end up in a movie sometime." Pam added.

"Well, thank you, children." Meredith replied. "Come on. They'll be back soon. I found a little bunker where we can sort all this out. They followed Meredith to the "bunker." In reality it was little more than a ditch, but it would do for now. The all crouched in the thing and made plans in the dirt with their fingers.

"We can't split up!" Jim protested. "If we do that we are dead in the water."

"We have to, Jim." Meredith argued. "If we don't, and they find us all together, they can take us all out at once." Pam just sat back and watched the two argue. She was thinking of a plan too, but she was not as vocal about it. Finally she piped up.

"I got it!" she said, silencing the two. "We aren't as strong as them, right?"

"Yeah." Jim admitted, disgruntled.

"And we aren't as accurate or experienced, right?" Pam continued.

"And where are you going with this, Pam." Jim asked.

"I say, we beat em' with the only things we have!" she suggested. "Speed, Surprise, and Sneakiness. If there are three things every prankster has, it has to be those." Jim was becoming interested in what Pam had to say.

"Alright, Bonaparte. What _exactly_ is the plan?" he asked. Pam knelt down to the ground and began to spell out their entire strategy with markings in the dirt. This would work. It just had to.

**So, a close call for Pam and Jim. What is Pam's plan? Will it work? As the relationship between Pam and Jim grows, how will it affect the way the Pranksters fight? Be sure to keep checking for new installments of "A Prank Too Far."**


	7. Last Stand

Pam knew that as long as the sun was out, there was no way that they could fight against the other team. They were simply too good and too many. The Pranksters did their best to hide until night fell. As they hid, Jim scooted over to Pam. The conversation started with an awkward silence that seemed to go on forever. Jim was the first to speak.

"So…uh, how's your stomach." Jim asked, quietly.

"It's fine. I did tell you that earlier didn't I?" she asked.

"Oh yeah. Yeah you did, it's just well…that had to hurt." he said, breaking into his announcer voice. Pam laughed.

"Only a little. Really I'm fine." she insisted. They laughed for a few moments more before it died away. They looked at the sunset. Jim spoke again.

"Listen, Pam. I am really sorry about grabbing onto your hand today. It was just weird, you know. I was scared, you were scared and I just did it and now. Well, I know that must've made you uncomfortable and well…sorry." he stumbled. There was another silence. Pam only looked at Jim for a moment. She reached over and held onto his hand again. He looked down at this and then back up at Pam. She was still smiling.

"I just got very comfortable, Jim. How about you?" she asked.

"Very comfortable." He repeated.

"Jim, I really do feel safe with you. I mean, not just out here, but back in the office, too. I can really be myself with you. I know that I can be goofy with you. I know that I can be my clumsy, kind of dorky self, and you won't laugh. I don't have to pretend that all I want to do for the rest of my life is stay in Scranton. I don't have to act like I don't have dreams. I really can't be like that when I am with Roy." She admitted.

"Do you want to be like that around Roy?" Jim asked, concern leaking into his voice.

"Of course, I do, but…well. It's just kind of…" Pam stopped as she got choked up. She turned her face away from Jim. She didn't want him to see her like this. Jim's heart ached for her. He wanted to help her so badly, but he really didn't know how. He reached over and placed a finger under her chin. He turned her head so she faced him. He wiped a tear from her cheek with his thumb. She put her hands on his arm trying to convince herself that this was wrong. He leaned close to her. Their lips met. She stopped trying to resist. This felt so right. She ran her fingers through his hair as the kiss continued. They finally parted though neither really wanted it to end. They just sat there for a long time gazing into each other's eyes. Finally Jim spoke.

"I have to say I never expected that our first date would be on a paintball field." He joked. Pam laughed. He put his arm around her and they watched the sun set on day one of the two-day paintball fight that would decide exactly how much fun would be had in the office from now on.

Ahh, night. This was where the allure of two-day paintball happened. If a team is the hunter at the end of the day, they will be more inclined to try to get some sleep rather than hunt the other team. That was what Pam was counting on. The moon cast an eerie glow over much of the makeshift campsite that the other team had built. The Pranksters all snuck to their respective positions around the site and Meredith began just as Pam had planned. She rustled furiously in the leaves hoping that the other team were light enough sleepers to hear her. Luckily, they all hopped out of their tents and began to stalk in Meredith's general direction. Right on cue, Jim began to rustle and move confusing the sleepy enemy. As they walked towards Jim, Pam did her job and made all the noise she could. They walked towards her, all three of the pranksters began to shake trees, throw leaves, and whoop and hollering which created and impossible to trace echo. The O.N.'s stood in the middle of the chaos not knowing what to do. While they tried not to show it, they were afraid. All of a sudden, all the noise stopped. For a moment all that was left were the echoes and even they seemed to die instantly. Then, the all too familiar pop, pop, pop was heard from all directions and the O.N.'s began to feel their first stings of the day. Panic struck all of them. Disorganization was their worst enemy. They all just shot into the dark at nothing for a few seconds and then without even thinking, they all turned tail and ran. The fear in them had been so great that it never even occurred to them to just hop back into their tents. They were heading right for the gap between Pam and Meredith. The two ducked only for a moment and then stood and shot at the fleeing party once more. After they were gone the Pranksters walked over to the tents and took all the supplies they could find. The Pranksters took shifts keeping watch as the other two slept.

Finally it was morning and both sides were ready for their second and last day. The Pranksters left the tent much the way they found them. No time to do otherwise. They set out together yet each was about twenty-five yards from the other. That was Meredith's idea. Just then, a black ball rolled out and settled right at Jim's feet. It sat there just long enough for him to read the label. "Paint Grenade." He ran backwards.

"Everybody down!" he yelled. Pam and Meredith instantly dropped. Jim got away just in time. Only a few tiny spatters landed on him. The three stood up and began to scan the area. They could see no one. Not a single flash of red met their eyes. Just then shots rang out from above them. They all looked up and in the trees were the four O.N.'s looking very tired. Not to mention very pissed off. The Pranksters did their best to fight back, but they soon realized that they had no kind of position to be fighting now. So, they did what they had come to know best during this fight. They ran. As they ran they came upon and giant field with tall grass up to their thighs. They got to about mid-field when all this running finally became too much for Jim.

"Wait!" Jim called.

"What, Jim? We have to go." Pam insisted.

"No. I'm sick of running. I am sick of getting shot only in the back. I've had enough. We are going to stand up right here and now!" he said.

"Jim, we don't stand a chance." Meredith said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Yes we do!" he said. "We do more than stand a chance. You know why? It's because we are going to fight for something that they don't even understand. They don't really know how much fun we have doing what we do. That's why we do it. Not really to embarrass them, but to have fun and spend time together. I am not afraid to defend that. I am not running away anymore." Pam looked at Jim. She could see that he was actually very serious about this. She glanced over at the woods. The O.N.'s were just coming out. Jim faced them and looked as though he would not be budged. Jim stared at the opposing team as they just walked now towards his team. He felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Pam. She stepped forward and stood right next to him. She shot him a quick smile before she matched his icy stare at the opposition. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Meredith joining the line, too. The O.N.'s reached a point and halted as Dwight raised his hand. The two factions just stood there for a moment.

"What do you think your doing, Halpert?" Dwight asked, mockingly.

"What we should've done all along. We are going to stand and fight!" Jim replied.

"You can't possibly win, Jim." He continued. "I am going to give you one chance, my friend, so use it wisely. Surrender now and we will spare you and you friends. Fight, and each of you will surely get a fresh coat! What do you say?"

Jim thought for a moment. He could get out of this right now without a single pellet being broken. He had the chance to get Pam and Meredith out as well. But, no. They cared about this as much as he did. If he gave up now, he would never forgive himself.

"Never!" Jim shouted. Pam and Meredith cheered and were soon joined by Jim.

"I must say you three, I admire your bravery." Dwight said, arrogantly. "However, we can't allow you to beat us. The age of Pranks is dead. Long live the age of Order! Charge!"

The Office Nazis charged the three Pranksters. The three stood fast. They were not going to move. Not another inch. They pointed their gun, just waiting until they were in range now. In the back of each Pranksters mind, they could tell that this was it. All they had done came down to this. Their hearts raced. Every pore tingled. Their fingers squeezed the triggers lightly. Each knew that their chances were slim. The Office Nazis were indeed better than they were. None of them quite knew what kept their feet anchored to the ground. They realized that it was because they believed in what they were fighting for so strongly that no matter what was about to come they would not be moved. Not another inch.

**It all comes down to this. Will the Pranksters be victorious or will they be overtaken by the freight-train that is the Office Nazis? What will become of Pam and Jim after all is said and done. Find out what happens next time in "A Prank Too Far."**


	8. Epic Proportions

The brave Pranksters stood their ground unsure of what would be next. They'd be lying to say that they weren't afraid. They accepted it. While outwardly the four Nazis charging them were not really ones to fear, on a paintball field it would be fair to call them scary. They screamed a battle cry as they charged the three Pranksters. The Pranksters held their guns poised. This was it. The moment of truth. All of a sudden, the Office Nazis stopped dead in their tracks, with shocked looks on their faces. The Pranksters were confused. They glanced at each other then back at the Nazis. It was only now that they realized the Nazis weren't looking at them…they were looking past them. Behind them. The three slowly turned around, not knowing whether to fear of trust whatever was at their backs. The sight that met their eyes nearly brought a smile to their faces. All of the office workers clad in blue from head to toe and armed with everything paintball. They were just now standing up from being hidden in the brush. The Pranksters wanted to say something, but there were no words. They just continued to smile as the office workers all smiled back. It was almost as if no words were needed. The office workers supported the Pranksters and they were no longer afraid to show it.

"We got your back, guys." Oscar said with a smile. The Pranksters scanned the faces. They were all there…even Stanley, who hadn't always approved of what Jim and Pam were doing. Jim nodded. He shot a smile to Pam. She was smiling, too. She glanced back up at him, with a grin. The three Pranksters turned around sending a few little smirks the way of the Nazis. To their surprise, the Nazis looked at each other and smiled as if they still had an ace up their sleeve. Jim looked again at the new army behind him. That would have to be one hell of an ace.

"Nice try, Halpert!" Dwight called. "Just not nice enough."

From all around the Nazis, more people stood up who were wearing red. Who were they? The Pranksters had already seen everyone from the office. Pam was the first to figure it out.

"Oh my God." She said under her breath. It was the warehouse workers. There were just as many of them as there were of the office workers. She looked across the field at Roy. The man she loved. He was now on the side trying to make sure that no fun would be had in the office.

"Roy!" she called. The hurt was in her voice. "Why?"

"Sorry, babe!" he called back. "Angela said that if we help them out our next few company charged purchases might get lost in the shuffle."

"Roy, are you crazy?! Do you really think that Angela would ruin her books just to get you on her team." Pam questioned, as she took a step forward.

"To deal with you, Halpert, and your punk-ass little tricks…maybe!" he yelled. Pam was shocked. She just stood there for a moment, numb. Those "punk ass" little tricks were what got her through the day. She had told Roy how much she loved pulling those off with Jim. Now he was consciously trying to stop that. A few seconds later she snapped out of it and looked back at Jim. Tears welled in her eyes. She stepped back towards the Pranksters and re-loaded her gun.

"Let's do this." She said to Jim. Jim held his gun in the air.

"READY!" he yelled. All the new Pranksters loaded their guns and got ready to run. "CHARGE!" Jim called. They all screamed as they charged. The two armies were already so close that the charge was only about ten yards long. Both armies started blasting each other furiously. A fog of paintballs filled the space between the two armies. They slightly drifted apart as the fighting continued and they all tried to flank each other at the same time. It now seemed that there were several battles taking place on the field. A few people were able to sneak around effectively with the grass being as high as it was. It seemed that people from both sides were dropping like flies. Jim looked around and saw that his army was spattered with red paint. Would this be enough to declare a win for the Nazis. No way to know now. He heard a loud POP. Unlike those of normal guns. What was that?

"JIM! Look out!" called Creed. Everything seemed to slow down. Creed came sprinting over just as Jim noticed the giant baseball sized pellet flying right towards him. Just then, Creed went flying through the air like Superman right in front of Jim. The giant pellet hit him right in the chest. Jim dropped to his knees where Creed was now laying.

"Creed. Oh my God! Creed, are you alright?" Jim asked. Creed looked up at him as he clutched the spot.

"Did I ever tell you that I was exactly like you when I was your age?" Creed asked with a smile. Jim grinned.

"No, man. You didn't." he replied.

"Don't ever stop pranking, kid. Promise me! If you do, you'll regret it for the rest of your life." Creed said.

"Did you?" Jim asked.

"I don't matter anymore, Jim. Just promise." Creed continued. Jim nodded.

"I promise." He said.

"That's good, Jim. That's real goo…" Creed's head fell back and his eyes closed. Jim looked at him for a moment and his brow furrowed.

"Creed, you're seriously okay, right?" Jim asked. Creed sat up.

"Oh yeah. I'm fine. I just always wanted to do that." He said with a smile.

"Cool. Let's go!" Jim replied and they both ran off to fight again.

Angela saw her giant pellet meant for Jim had missed its mark. She quickly began to re-load the paint-bazooka she had just swiped from Kevin. Just as she dropped the new ball into the chamber she was stopped.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Pam said from behind her, gun trained on her. Angela froze.

"You don't really plan on giving the warehouse workers expenses, do you Angela?" Pam questioned.

"Very smart, Beesly." Angela said.

"Why them, Angela?" Pam asked.

"For one thing they are stupid; second I knew it would be hard for you to fight against you fiancée and his friends." Angela paused. "However, that one might have to be scratched off the list."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Pam asked, becoming angry.

"You know what that means!" Angela spat. Deep down, Pam did know. She had tried to deny it for so long. She had gotten so used to pushing these thoughts out of her head that she had almost forgotten what was underneath. Jim was there. She loved him. She knew it.

"Enough games, Angela! Call of these goons and I won't make it so you look like a smurf!" Pam threatened. Angela laughed.

"Look around, Pam. Even if you take me out, there are a lot more against you than just me." Angela said. Pam knew she was right. Still, Angela would be one less.

"And here's one now." Angela said. Before Pam could even register this, she caught a pellet right in the back of her hand. She lost grip on the gun. Angela whirled around and aimed at Pam with her original gun. Dwight came running through the brush. Pam hunched over her hurt hand, not wanting to drop her gun. Pam noticed Dwight for the first time.

"Damn it, Dwight! That really hurt!" Pam exclaimed.

"Excellent shot, Dwight." Angela said.

"Thank you, Angela." Dwight said. Pam's hope was fading fast. Run? No, they'd just shoot her. Fight? She was outnumbered. She looked back and forth between the two of them and felt truly trapped. Angela and Dwight both had guns trained on her.

"Any last words, Prankster?" Dwight asked. Pam looked around. Last chance. Then relief struck her as she noticed Jim a distance behind the two Nazis. He threw something in their direction and waved wildly at Pam. She realized she was staring at him and re-made eye contact with Dwight.

"I said, 'Any last words?'" Dwight repeated. Pam smiled as she saw the black ball roll near.

"Duck." She said, calmly. She dove backwards to the ground and tried to crawl as far away as possible. Dwight looked down and noticed the paint-bomb. It was closer to Angela. He grabbed her and held her close. He spun her away from the thing just as it exploded covering his entire back and legs with royal blue paint. Angela was untouched. They both just stood there for a moment. They both looked into each others eyes, searching for words.

"Dwight. You saved me." Angela said.

"It's only paint." He said, with a smile. Angela shook her head as a smile came to her face as well.

"Oh, I don't care." She said. And with that she stood up on her tip-toes and kissed him on the cheek. She grinned up at him as he grinned back. Then she extended a hand.

"Excellent work, Dwight." She said. He shook her hand.

"Thank you, Angela." He replied. They shared one last smile before running in separate directions.

Toby was sneaking around in the brush. Stanley was basically just standing there when Meredith first saw him. She then noticed Toby sneaking up behind him.

"Stanley, duck!" she called. Surprisingly he did duck, or maybe he was just tying his shoe. She couldn't tell. Either way, it worked. She began to peg Toby again and again, until he finally fell backwards. She smirked and then walked over to him. He gazed up at her.

"Time for a second coat, scumbag!" she said as she began to pelt him more. Just then, Meredith felt a giant sting in her back. She had been shot with one of the giant pellets. It knocked her right to the ground. It had been shot from close-range. Meredith turned to see Roy towering above her with a paint bazooka on one shoulder and a regular rifle in his other hand.

"Now its time for _your _second coat!" he said.

"Roy!" came a voice from behind him. He whirled around to find Pam standing there. He didn't even have time to say 'wait' before he was under a barrage of paint and tiny welts. He dropped the bazooka as he staggered backwards. Meredith tripped him and he fell backwards onto his back. Pam held her fire only for a moment.

"Pam. Baby. Hold on a sec. Just…just listen." Roy stammered. Pam's rage was almost palpable.

"No, Roy! You listen! FOR ONCE! You always make me feel like I can't do anything. You make me feel stuck, Roy! I feel trapped and it's because of you! I have dreams! I should be able to do whatever I want when it comes to those dreams! You know what? I CAN! I can follow my dreams and you can't stop me!" she paused and just stood there seething. She then spattered Roy for what seemed like hours. She heard her gun go empty yet her finger still gripped the trigger. Roy just lay there trying to regroup. Pam walked over to the bazooka and dumped one of the giant pellets out of the barrel. She grabbed it and walked back over to Roy. She threw the thing down at him and it exploded on his chest.

"That's for leaving me at that hockey game, jerk!" she said. She turned to walk away and was met with Jim staring at her. His eyes were wide.

"How long have you been standing there?" she asked. He said nothing, but his jaw was agape. Finally he spoke.

"You know you should really talk to someone about that anger problem. Don't we have a Human Resources guy for that." Jim said. He noticed Toby gingerly rising to his feet. "Oh yeah. There he is." He finished. Pam grabbed the sleeves of Jim's shirt and pulled him in. The kiss surprised Jim, especially since Roy was right there. He realized that she knew Roy was right there. She wasn't fighting it anymore. Why should he? He wrapped his hands around her waist and pulled her in closer. They kissed for a long time. Neither was ready to break it any time soon. Both of them had completely lowered their defenses. No more tension. No more inhibitions. Only perfection remained and both of them could feel it deeply.

"How touching!" came a voice. Angela had come up behind them. The two opened their eyes to find that Dwight was on the other side and Kevin was between them. Roy sprang up and held Meredith at gunpoint. She looked on with helplessness. Toby rose sorely and took the other open space between Angela and Dwight. The two Pranksters were surrounded. They looked at each other.

"No more foreplay, children! Ready!" Angela said. She raised a hand in the air. The Nazis loaded up. Jim and Pam continued their gaze. Their whole world at this moment was each other. Jim smiled at Pam. She grinned sweetly back. Nothing else mattered but each other. Angela sneered at their defiance. She dropped her hand quickly.

POP! POP! POP!

**So the final battle is one for the record books already. However, the day is not over. What else could happen in this battle? What of the new Pranksters? What of Jim and Pam? Is this the end? (Hint: Of course not! What kind of sadistic writer do you all think I am?) Stay tuned for new installments of "A Prank Too Far."**


	9. The Final Standoff

Jim and Pam squeezed their eyes shut tight as they held each other close. They heard the pop, pop, pop. The guns fired again and again as Meredith looked on from her spot on the ground. A smile met her lips as she watched.

Neither Jim nor Pam could figure out why they were not feeling any of the little stings that they were sure had been on their way. They were slightly afraid to open their eyes, but slowly they both did. What they saw was nothing short of a miracle. On top of a nearby hill was a lone gunman dressed all in black. The squad of O.N.'s were firing madly now at him. Meredith used their distraction to pelt Roy. When he was disposed of, she began to go to work on the backs of the O.N.'s. This got them away from Jim and Pam who quickly ran to their guns. Meredith gave Pam a new hopper full of paintballs. They all began to work on the O.N.'s who tried to run away. They continued to shoot them in the back as they ran. When they were out of range, they all looked to the top of the hill where the masked figure had been standing. He was gone. They all looked at each other, all expecting the other to give some kind of explanation of what just happened. Their looks seemed to decide that maybe they should just leave it as a mystery for now. They bolted to the top of the hill so that now maybe they could see what had become of their teammates. As they reached the top of the hill, a terrible sight met their eyes. The new Pranksters were being slaughtered. Kelly and Creed were both almost completely covered and the rest of them were not looking a whole lot better. Dwight, Angela, Toby, and Kevin had joined the butchering. Pam, Jim, and Meredith just stood there for a moment speechless. It had been a trick. A diversion to get the three of them away from their less skilled teammates. None of them knew what to do. Jim saw a figure come up next to him out of the corner of his eye. He looked. It was the man in black his visor was so dark that his eyes were not even visible. Jim didn't know what to say to him. Finally, he got words out.

"Are you on our side?" he asked. The man turned his head to Jim. Slowly, he nodded then looked back at the carnage happening at the bottom of the hill. Jim looked back, too. With all his strength he shouted to the man who was the center of this whole dispute.

"DWIGHT!" he roared. He was so loud that the entire battle below them stopped and both sides looked up at the four, seemingly god-like, paintballers above them. Jim's gaze seemed to pierce Dwight. For a moment the field was still. No one shot, no one moved, no one talked. They all just stared at Jim. Dwight was the one break the silence.

"Looks like you were the one who was tricked this time, doesn't it Jim?" Dwight called, gesturing at the battered Pranksters.

"I should've known you would try something like this, you weasel!" Jim accused.

"Try, Jim? Try? I would consider this more than a try. To me, it looks like we **did**." Dwight corrected.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you that you should pick on someone your own size?" Jim asked, with a grin. While he tried not to show it, Dwight was afraid at that moment. He froze. Angela covered for him.

"Well, I don't see anyone here that fits that description!" she shouted. Jim smiled. He looked to his left, then to his right. Pam and Meredith smiled back at him. He looked back at Angela and Dwight. He chuckled.

"I do." He called. His smile snapped and Jim shouted a long battle cry that was joined by Pam and Meredith. They charged down the hill. As this happened the new Pranksters resumed their fight somewhat surprising the O.N's. A haze of paintballs flew between the two groups. Almost every one of Jim, Pam, and Meredith's hit its mark. The man in black began to peg the warehouse workers endlessly. The office workers joined him. When the man was finished all of them were completely covered in yellow paint. Jim, Pam, and Meredith were focused on Dwight, Angela, Toby, and Kevin. The seven fought for what seemed like forever. None of them tried to find cover. None of them ran. None of them flinched as they were all hit again and again with the other team's pellets. They all just stood there and fired frantically at the other team. All of a sudden, blue pellets stopped flying all together. The Pranksters were completely out of ammo. The red pellets had stopped flying as well. The O.N.s watched in glee as they saw the Prankster desperately search their belts for just one more full hopper. The glee grew as they found none. The three just looked at the O.N.'s. Each of them had at least half of a full hopper and another on their belts. No more chances.

"Strike three. You're out, Halpert!" Dwight said, in a sinister tone. Jim was afraid only for a moment. Then he remembered. He looked to his right. She was covered in red paint and yet she was still beautiful to him. He had what he wanted. He had her. He didn't need to be the King of Pranks to love her nor did she need it to love him. The paintball war was not scary anymore. Jim looked back at Dwight.

"I think this is technically strike four, buddy." Jim said with a grin. Jim heard a laugh from Pam. She wasn't afraid anymore either. They could all see the rage grow inside Dwight and Angela as the O.N.'s prepared to finish the battle. Just then, they heard the roar of a quad come up behind them. They all whirled around and what they saw made their jaws drop. It was the man in black, and he was driving a quad with what looked like a turret on the back of it. As he climbed up on the thing it became apparent that it was a turret and none of them knew what to do. Jim, Pam, and Meredith had already hit the deck and were just waiting now. The man in black unloaded on the O.N.'s who were fairly knocked backwards by the force of the hits. The man fired a steady stream of paint pellets even after the O.N.'s had fallen to the ground. All of a sudden, a sound came that stopped it all. It was a siren that echoed throughout the whole field this was a signal that the game was over. As they all stood up they saw the Man in Black ride his quad over the hill and into the sunset and just as quickly as he appeared, he vanished never to be seen by any of them again. They all wearily walked back to the drop-off point and waited to be judged. The man came out and began to look them all up and down. He noticed the two colors of Paint covering the Red team. He walked over to Jim.

"Where'd that yellow come from?" he asked. Jim couldn't think of anything to say.

"Well…um…" he stuttered.

"They just ran out of blue." Kevin piped up. All the Pranksters shot him a smile.

"How dare you, Kevin?" Angela questioned. "Sir, I'll tell you what really happened. There was this masked man and he ambushed us and was helping them. He had the yellow pellets." The man just stood there for a moment looking at Angela as if she was crazy.

"Ma'am, it's just a game. No need to make up crazy stories, just because it looks like you lost." He said. The Pranksters all perked up. So did the O.N.'s.

"Lost?" most of them said in unison. That's right. The Pranksters stomachs all were doing somersaults.

"How can you tell?" Dwight questioned, angrily.

"I have been doing this for a long time." The man said, calmly.

"I demand a re-count!" Dwight said.

"Not a chance." The man said. "I declare the winners of this two-day paintball game to be…the blue team!"

They all leaped into the air and gave each other hugs. The O.N.'s looked on as Angela threw her goggles to the ground. The Pranksters rejoiced at what they had won that day. They had won fun. They were now allowed to have the kind of laughs that were almost denied them. To make the jokes that were so nearly stripped away. They all cheered and shot their guns into the air. Pam ran up to Jim. She threw her arms around him. They both laughed as Jim lifted her off her feet and then spun her around. They stopped and Pam moved her hands down Jim's arms until they held hands. The laughter died away and they both just looked at each other. Pam grinned ear-to-ear at Jim. His smile faded. He looked at his feet.

"Jim, what's wrong?" Pam asked, ducking to look into Jim's eyes.

"Pam, we can't do this." He said, solemnly. Her gaze at him continued.

"Why not, Jim?" she asked, quietly. He held her hand in front of her face presenting her engagement ring to her. She looked at it. She seemed to think for a moment. She thought about all that had happened. She thought about the kiss. Jim just stared at her for some kind of a response. She looked away from Jim and began to walk away. Jim watched as she walked over to Roy. His heart ached. He loved her so much. It killed him to watch her go. He continued to look on as she walked over to Roy and hugged him. Then she did something that surprised everyone. She slowly took the ring off of her finger and gave it to Roy. He had a stunned look on his face. Pam turned and began to walk back towards Jim. The smile on his face grew wider and wider until it could grow no more. Pam walked up to him.

"Now that that's taken care of." She said. He bent down and kissed her. The entire office cheered as the kiss continued. From a distance, the Man in Black looked on. He smiled to himself. A job well done.

Michael returned home that night and wearily slipped off his shoes. He picked the ClubMed brochure up off of his counter and looked at it with a smile.

"Maybe next year." He thought to himself. He grabbed his duffel bag and emptied it into the dirty clothes hamper. The whole black garb fell out and into the bin as Michael shook the bag. He noticed a red spatter on one of the sleeves.

"Huh. I gotta practice more." He said out loud. He went upstairs and crawled into bed. How nice bed felt tonight. A job well done.

Jim walked into the office just like any other day. He was stopped by Pam's cheery voice.

"Morning, Jim." She said.

"Morning, Pam." He replied. Dwight got up from his desk and went to go to the bathroom. Jim and Pam grinned mischievously at one another. Dwight returned from the bathroom to find all his pencils stuck in the ceiling. His desk was now in Michaels locked office along with everything on it.

"JIM! PAM!" he yelled. Jim and Pam listened through the hallway door and giggled. They ran to the elevator. Jim shook Pam's hand.

"Excellent work, Partner." He congratulated.

"Thank you, Jim." She replied. "So will it be Bob Evan's or McDonald's?"

"Definitely McDonalds." He said, as if it should be obvious. They walked out to Jim's car. It had already been a good day.

**Thank you all for reading "A Prank Too Far." Without all of you, this story wouldn't have made it past Chapter 2. I am overjoyed that you all got such a kick out of this story. If any of you have any ideas for a new story just let me know. It doesn't have to be the Office either. Again, thank you all for keeping up with this story. Let me know what you thought of the ending. Thank you all and I wish you all good future reading!**

**pirate88**


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